Sunday 26th April 2015

Saturday.

The weekend.

The cats were restless. Its their job to be fair, so trying to have a lie in was impossible. I get up, feed the cats and make a coffee. We write a shopping list, we check it twice. Outside it was dull and grey, with the threat of rain and/or sea mist in the very near future.

Driving to Deal for what is now the regular visit to Sainsbury's. Now that we are not what you call young, we join other folks of over a certain age who no longer are able, or willing, to lie in, and so get their chores done nice and early before 'the crowds' are about. Sitting back home, having another coffee and breakfast before the sensible world is awake.

That is us.

Jools had a bead class, and I was going to go with her and wander around Folkestone whilst she did her beading thing. But with the gloomy weather being the way it was, I stayed home, made a batch or short cakes, listened to the radio, and generally messed around. I even fired a few work mails off too. I also listened to the radio, Danny Baker and then Fighting Talk, a perfect Saturday, perfect if the weather does not allow orchid snapping of course.

At midday it was all about horse racing: the champion jockey was retiring, but the whole sport leaves me cold, and so I switched it off, and so began the great football avoidance. See, with two games to go in the season, Norwich needed to win both games and hope that two of the three teams above lost one of their two games. Desperate stuff all round. I did not want to spend the whole afternoon listening to the radio and swearing at my Twitter feed, so what with the BBC saying the weather was going to break through by mid-afternoon, the plan was to drive to Stockbury, snap the bluebells and orchids. Take Jools and my mate Gary, and not have the radio on at all. Sure, I would wonder how the game was going, but by the time we got back, it would all be over and I would just be able to look at the results.

And then swear.



We went to pick up Gary from River, and as we drive along the A2, the clouds did part and the sun did break through. It was going to be a glorious afternoon after all. After loading a lot of camera gear into the car, we drive to Folkestone then up the M20 to Maidstone, then up the downs to Stockbury, parking at the top of the wood. And even from there were could see the carpet of bluebells.



We grab our gear, and walk through the bluebells and wood anemones to the clearing, and from 100m away, I could see the bright purple of the orchids. Oh how wonderful is spring in an English wood? I walk on, using the nifty fifty to snap some general scenes, especially of the bluebells, making my way down the site to the bottom, past the glade to where the Lady Orchids are. There were about 50 spikes and rosettes, but one spike had three open flowers, glistening in the sunlight filtering down through the tree canopy. This is what it is all about, much better than football.



I walk back up, meet up with Gary who has got his shots, and together we walk to the Early Purples, and so got many more shots. It is glorious when the sun comes out from behind a cloud, and it's like someone has thrown a light switch as the orchids change from a dull violet to bright purple.



We drive back to Dover, dropping Gary back home on the way. I switch on the computer to find that City drew 1-1 with Rotherham, and had a player rightly sent off. It was a last minute equaliser from Rotherham too. To make it worse, Middlesborough lost, so a win would have taken us 3rd. But Watford won, and the two results for City and Boro meant they were promoted. Bournemouth play on Monday, and a win for them in either of their two remaining games means they will get automatic promotion. Bugger. So, the play-offs it is then, lets hope we get the wheels back on before the real scary shit start in some 12 days.



I cook breaded pork, with cous cous, asparagus and baby leaf spinach. It were great.

The day ended with me watching a documentary on tour buses hosted by Rick Wakeman. It passed the time. Outside a fox came back repeatedly to clear the food left for the badgers. It was a handsome fox, but it could have been female, in which case it was beautiful. And pretty fearless. THe fat balls went, then the pork fat, and then all the peanuts. A balanced fox diet.